Are you allowed to let them have a quick touch ?
Yes - I find that letting first-time passengers discover that the aeroplane is fairly idiot proof and stays in the air despite me rather than because of me gets them to relax a bit. The more confident also get demos of a stall and PFL - the "worst" things that can happen to us. That way they can understand that we really aren't flying around seconds away from a Daily Mail style crash into a school or busload of nuns...